In the past, various different apparatus and methods were utilized in the fabrication of dynamoelectric machines, such as for instance hermetic electric motors or the like, in order to effect the termination of a set of leads integral with the windings on a stator assembly for such electric motors. In the fabrication of some past hermetic electric motors, the windings and the leads thereof were formed of magnet wire having a conductor with a dielectric material coating adhered in insulating relation about the conductor. For convenience, the winding leads were brought out from the winding generally at a preselected area on a part of the winding, such as for instance one of the opposite generally annular groupings of winding end turns extending beyond one of the opposite end faces of the stator assembly. The winding leads were passed through dielectric material tubes so that the free ends of such leads extended beyond the free end portion of such tubes, and an anchored end portion of such tubes was disposed between the aforementioned one end turn groupings of the windings. Therefore, during a press-back operation to form and size the end turn groupings of the windings, the anchored ends of the tubes were secured in displacement preventing engagement between the end turns of one of the pressed-back end turn groupings.
Various different past apparatus have been employed to remove a distal section of the tubes and to strip the dielectric material coating from the free ends of the leads to prepare them for termination with either individual terminals or a terminal block of well known construction. For instance, laser systems were employed in the past to remove the aforementioned distal sections from the tubes and strip the dielectric material coating from the free ends of the leads. However, one of the disadvantages or undesirable features associated with the aforementioned past use of laser systems is believed to be that dielectric material residue from the distal sections removed from the tubes was left on the stripped conductor at free ends of the leads, and such residue is believed to have resulted in an unsatisfactory connection when terminals were gripped into engagement with the stripped lead conductors. Furthermore, another disadvantageous or undesirable feature associated with the aforementioned past use of laser systems is believed to be that such laser systems were not only expensive to purchase and install but also were expensive to maintain in operation on a production line.
It is believed that various different types of currently available terminals may be satisfactorily connected in conductive relation with winding leads without stripping the dielectric material coating therefrom. When connected to the aforementioned unstripped winding leads, parts of the terminals puncture the dielectric material coating on the winding leads and conductively engage the conductor within the winding leads. Furthermore, apparatus or devices are also currently available for severing the distal end sections of the tubes; however, one of the disadvantageous or undesirable features of at least some such tube severing devices is believed to be that they also leave a residue on the dielectric material coating of the winding leads so as to be unsuitable for production usage.